Disneyland in Camelot?

Just as the passage of time has somewhat diminished John F. Kennedy's reputation, so has it dimmed enthusiasm for the library that is to be built in his name by 1976 in Cambridge, Mass. Gathering in Boston last week to unveil a model of the complex, the Kennedy family faced the unthinkable: a large group of Massachusetts citizens who were plainly unhappy with them. Complained Father Richard Shmaruk, a priest who belongs to a task force that has been reviewing the design: "The aloofness of the complex and its impact on the community could produce a cross between Camelot and Disneyland in Harvard Square, and we just cannot afford that."

A monumental pyramid designed by I.M. Pei and largely financed by public contributions of $20 million, the library is supposed to house a museum, an archive, an institute of politics and two theaters that will show a short film on J.F.K. Residents fear that millions of tourists in their Winnebagos will be attracted to the already clogged streets of Harvard Square. The library will also put more strain on a city budget burdened with too many tax-exempt institutions. Blacks complain that rocketing real estate values may force them out of their neighborhoods.

The Kennedys are not yet planning any major modifications. But they are negotiating with Cambridge officials about adding a retail-apartment complex that would generate more revenue for the city, and possibly increasing parking space. (An earlier plan for an extensive underground garage has had to be abandoned because the 12-acre site, near the Charles River, has proved too soggy for the purpose.) As an opponent of the library puts it: "Being good Massachusetts residents, I'm sure the Kennedys do not want people lying down before the bulldozers as if this were some urban renewal project."

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